The Sweetest Revenge (4 page)

He exhaled, now really desperate to get out of the bar. He couldn
’t handle her in his arm much longer. He cleared his throat. “I told you, I’ve an important meeting tomorrow morning. Why don’t you drink up, and I’ll bring you to—“

“
What do you do when you’re not working?” she interrupted him. “What do you do for fun?”

The blonde later.
“My job’s fun enough,” he answered, puzzled by her change of topic. He frowned, thinking over what he’d just said. It wasn’t true. Lately it was a pain to get up in the morning, and he missed the energy he’d always put into his business. On some days, he felt drained. Why, he didn’t know because he had everything he ever wanted and more. “I like what I do, always have. I don’t need anything else.” He was sure the only way out of this state was to push himself harder. He’d his company to run, he would come around eventually. “Work is my life.”

She raised one eyebrow.
“I’m sure there are activities you like doing besides working.” Her voice was ever so slightly suggestive as she pressed closer into his arm. 

The implication wasn
’t lost on him, and he considered that she wasn’t such a sweet girl after all, yet he didn’t think with his brain anymore so he might be mistaken. Her sultry voice drove him nuts. He better come up with something to shut her up.

“
Nope, there’s nothing,” he said as she clasped her hand over his on her waist. She slid his fingers down to her hipbone, which fit perfectly beneath his curved palm. He could feel her hips rolling to the music. This surely qualified as torture. He groaned, wondering what he’d done to get such bad karma.

“
Nothing?” She smiled, her eyes locking into his. “You don’t like movies or, say, like to read in bed?”

He cursed
Matt from the bottom of his heart and withdrew his arm from her waist. “Well, I used to like scuba diving, but I’ve no time for that anymore.”

“
Oh, scuba diving,” she said, and he watched her face light up, her eyes shining with energy. “I’ve always wanted to do that. It must be way cool, floating under water, seeing reef fishes…”

He listened to her colorful descriptions until he was almost under water.
“It really is great,” he said after a moment. “You’re all weightless, and fish swim so close up that you can tickle their belly. Sometimes you see a shark swimming around you, so graceful amid the reef it makes your heart race. When you dive up, you’re happy to be alive, but the next day, you go diving again. It’s addictive…” When was the last time he had done something just for fun? He’d spent a month at the Red Sea in Egypt, learning how to dive. One of the best times he’d ever had. “My last vacation was ten years ago.”

She shook her head. “I hope the people working for you are allowed to have a vacation once a year. Obviously, you deem yourself too important to take time off.”

“
No, that’s not it.” Her taunt shouldn’t bother him, but curiously, it did. “You don’t understand how much work being a CEO is.” He was responsible for so many people…what did she know about that?

“
Work hard, play hard.” She drank from her cocktail. “If you’re short of ideas, you can always come to me.” She moistened her bottom lip with a flick of her tongue, and he wondered how many men she had kissed, how many she had allowed to touch her, how many she had slept with, and how realistic it was that the number was zero.

“
If I make a wrong step, the whole industry knows it.” He looked at her slightly parted lips. She was twenty-five—quite possibly, she’d done other things with her mouth besides kissing. How would it feel to have her slide on top of him, her tongue flicking down his groin, teasing him? “I don’t have time to
play.”

She gave him a long hard look.
“Nobody is that important. You’re one self-important ass.”

“
What?”
He stared at her and couldn’t remember the last time when someone had spoken to him that blunt. “I’m a self-important ass?”

“
Yes, you are.” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you take two weeks off and go diving?”

“
Because I’m too—” He swallowed
important
just in time. Of course, theoretically, he could do it. He owned the company. They might survive a few weeks without him. Still, he couldn’t do it because it wasn’t that simple. Or was it? He gazed at her, drowning in her eyes, a strange longing in his heart.

“
Live a little.” She winked, a gesture both sexy and playful. “Have some fun.”

“Fun,” he said quietly, and took a sip from his whiskey.
Hell, yes. I know what would be fun.
It would be fun watching her diving into the sea, seeing her swimming next to him, looking at her curves under a wet suit. And it would be more than fun to peel the wet suit off her body, kissing her mouth, licking salt of her pale skin—

“
Hi, Brian,” a cool voice said behind him. He snapped around.
Fuck.
It was the blonde.

* * * * *

Susannah’s stomach dropped to her knees.
That’s
his type? Brian had excused himself and drawn the woman out of earshot. They stood a few feet away, and she watched them without pretending to do otherwise. If that blonde chick was his type then she was toast. She couldn’t see Brian’s expression, only his back, but she had a good view of the blonde’s eager-to-please face as she listened to him.
Maybe he couldn’t see what the blonde advertised in her eyes. Maybe he could.

“
I swear, it won’t be
you
in his bed tonight,” she murmured, catching the woman’s blue-eyed glance as she looked over Brian’s shoulder. The blonde sized her up, and whatever she thought, she hid it well. Susannah gave her a wide smile, then lifted her cocktail and toasted her, enjoying the shocked expression on the woman’s face.

The bartender laughed.
“You’re a bad girl.”

“
Damn right.” She craved Brian, and she was getting to him. She’d seen it on his face after the ride. She could
feel
it. The blonde wasn’t a threat, she was a mere nuisance. Brian couldn’t possibly like her.

“
He’s not worth the frown on your face,” the bartender said with a grin. “My shift ends in two hours.” He winked, leaning over the counter and closer to her. “Let’s have coffee.”

She grinned back, because his smile was cute and, without a doubt, on any other given night, s
he would have flirted with him. “Not tonight.”

“
He was here yesterday,” he said with a nod to Brian. “Together with the blonde.” He cocked his head. “Think about it. My offer stands.”

She stared at him, feeling suddenly lightheaded.
“Yesterday? With
her?”
What were the odds that the bartender was mistaken?
Oh, for crying out loud.
“Did they leave together?” He only shrugged. She would not let Brian get away tonight. She clinked her empty glass. “Can I have another one of these?”

“
On the house.”

* * * * *

Brian had calmed the blonde, explaining that he’d promised to take care of his friend’s little sister, that he was about to walk her back to her hotel—would do that right this minute. He flashed the blonde his most promising smile, saying that he would make it up to her. If she would pretty please wait for him in the bar for half-an-hour?

“
Little sister?” she asked incredulously, looking over his shoulder.

Unfortunately
, he knew exactly what she saw. His explanation sounded contrived even to his ears.

Miraculously, the blonde agreed to wait for him, and he was determined to get rid of Suzie. She screwed up his brain
—not to mention other body parts. Her party was officially over.

“
Time to go,” he said as he returned to the bar, aware that the blonde shot daggers at his back.

“
Time to go?” echoed Suzie, a frown on her face. “Where?”

“
I’ll walk you to your hotel, and then let’s call it a night.” After that, he would need another drink to get her out of his system, but wasn’t sure that it would work. “I have a date later.”

“
A date?” She stared over his shoulder.
“Her?”
she asked, not bothering to keep her voice down, her eyes flashing. “You’re going to fuck
her?”

He reached for his whiskey, then froze when her words hit home. He looked into her stormy eyes, still stunned to hear from her lips what had been on his mind all evening. It took him a few seconds to find his voice.
“Watch your language.” Suzie was supposed to be sweet and innocent. She wasn’t supposed to say fuck.

“
No!” She slammed her hand on the steel countertop, almost knocking over his whiskey glass. “Damn it, Brian. I'd bet you haven’t known her longer than a few hours.”

He had the impression that he better tread carefully.
“That’s long enough.” He grabbed his whiskey and swirled the amber liquid around. “You, on the other hand, I’ve known way too long.”

“
You know nothing about me.” She took the glass out of his hands and drained it. “You don’t know me.”

He didn
’t move as she stepped closer, her legs brushing up against his. Her lips were soft and cool, but her tongue slipping into his mouth was warm and sweet, tasting of whiskey and cream. He didn’t know how long he kissed her back until his brain caught up with who he held in his arms.

He pushed her away, breathing hard.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“
What I’m doing?” she asked, her voice reduced to a whisper, her face flushed. “I checked to see if I could get some sort of reaction from you.” She licked her lips as she glanced down to his crotch. “I’m glad to see that you’re not dead after all.”

He knew she saw his erection outlined against his jeans. She looked exactly as she had after the ride. He gazed in her face, seeing her wide mouth, the feverish heat in her eyes, and he wanted to have her spread out and
naked under him, giving her a better reason to scream than a roller coaster ride.

He closed his eyes
, realization hitting hard. She had worked him up the whole evening. And he was sure that she hadn’t done it by accident.
I’m an idiot.
She wasn’t a sweet, innocent girl, but a manipulative one. She’d pushed his buttons until he’d panted after her. And, fuck, he still wanted her so bad…

Hang on, wasn
’t there something else…ah, yes…the blonde.
He turned around and glanced through the bar. As he had suspected, she was gone. Obviously she had seen that this hadn’t been a harmless goodnight kiss.

He looked back at Suzie, lust and anger boiling up
, and didn’t know anymore if he wanted to kiss or slap her. “You have cost me my date.” He had needed the blonde to get over Suzie. To get over all the tension she created in him with her laughter, her bouncing skirt, her perky breasts, and that damn great kiss.

She stepped closer, smiling.
“You can have a new date.”

He jumped as she stroked
him, applying just enough pressure through the cotton of his jeans that he forgot to breathe.

“
Let’s go someplace else.” She gave a quiet laugh. “Or why not check out the bar’s bathroom?”

For a split second, he imagined her leaning against a cubicle wall and spreading her legs for him. He groaned, shaking his head.
What the hell did she think she was doing? He grabbed her by the nape of her neck, her curls gliding between his fingers, and drew her close to his face. “Stop behaving like a slut.”

The blow hitting his face came out of nowhere. Stunned, he rubbed his cheek, seeing her storming away.
She packed quite a punch.

He exhaled, leaning against the bar.
“Whiskey,” he said to the bartender. “Double, no ice.”

The bartender coughed.
“Look, man,” he said, “first you crawl into the woman’s lap with your eyes, you kiss her, and then you call her a slut?” He shook his head. “I don’t serve assholes.”

“
You don’t understand.” Brian closed his eyes.
“She’s my best friend’s little sister!”

“
Little sister, my ass.” The bartender laughed. “She’s a woman who knows what she wants. And you,” he said, pointing his finger into Brian’s face, “get the hell out of my bar.” 

C
hapter Four

Susannah ran out the bar and into street noise and flickering neon lights. She swallowed a sob. Tears of frustration stung her eyes as she stared at the faces in the crowd. When she tripped over her feet she slowed down.

Hitting him had lifted some pressure from her chest, but kissing him had been devastatingly amazing. Her whole body still ached for more. She stopped in her tracks and leaned against a lamppost, catching her breath. He
’d kissed her with enough heat for both of them. How dare he leave her high and dry?

She wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek.
Great, he made me cry, and on my birthday, no less.
Why couldn’t he behave and take what she offered? Men are supposed to like sex. And he damn well wasn’t an exception. She shivered, thinking how hard he’d been under her fingers. Why wasn’t her plan working? He must have some stupid principles which interfered with her wish to get him into the nearest bed. Nearest whatever.

“
Hey, gorgeous, why so sad?” A slurry voice addressed her. “You’re too pretty to cry.”

She looked up and took in the bunch of guys standing around her in a circle. The red in their eyes indicated that they had enough drinks for one evening. Or for the rest of the month. She retreated slowly. Leaning against a lamppost while wearing a minuscule skirt was a mistake in any city. More so in Vegas.

“Hey, don’t go.” One of them grabbed her arm. “We like you.” They snickered as if sharing a joke.

The sickening smell of stale beer hit her face. She pulled her arm back, but the guy held tight. Judging by the expression on his face, he enjoyed her struggle. And even drunk, he was stronger than her any day.

“Hi, guys.” She switched on a smile and with relief, she saw them all smiling back. “Am I right that you’re on a way to a party?”

“
Yeah, and you’ll come with us.” One of them pinched her bottom.

Her face hurt from smiling so hard. What she really wanted was to take off her heels and club them all, but that wouldn
’t be smart. The guy holding her yanked her along a few steps.

“
Wait.” She held up her hand and thrust out her chest to distract them. “I have a great idea. I’ll pop into the bar over there.” She pointed to the Blues Lounge. “And I’ll get
two
of my girlfriends to come along. We'll make it worth your time.”
Smile, Susannah, smile.
“That makes three girls,” she added, holding up three fingers just in case they were a bit slow. “How’s that?”

“
All right.” The guy holding her by the arm spoke first, and the others nodded, leering down her blouse. “But they better look hot.”

She forced a grin
, relief flooding through her as the painful grip around her arm eased, when suddenly someone pushed her aside. “No!” she yelled, but it was too late. Brian sank his fist into the guy’s face. He aimed for a second blow, but the guy staggered back and then hit the ground. 

She sucked in her breath, staring at Brian.
“You’re an idiot.” Where the heck had he come from anyway? “Hey.” She pushed against his shoulder, “I didn’t need rescuing.” She gazed into his face, but his eyes were strangely glazed over.

Someone groaned, and she looked to the ground. The guy slowly got up, blood all over his face. His friends
who had stood frozen for the last seconds now turned their drunken but hostile faces toward Brian.

“
Now that’s just great.” She took Brian’s elbow and backed away, but he wouldn’t move. She could practically smell the testosterone in the air. “Come along, please, do it for me.” She tugged at his arm, but he didn’t budge.

With a metallic sound, something snapped open. One guy
sported a small but lethal knife, and angry faces closed in around them. “Brian,” she whispered, “there are more than six, drunk or not.” She was sure he would soon find his brain again, but she didn’t care to wait. “I’m out of here.” 

She ran. As she had hoped, he followed seconds later, slipping his fin
gers into her hand. Interesting. He preferred holding her hand instead of getting knifed. She grinned while they ran through the crowds. She was feeling better already with him next to her. The chances that they were being followed were slim, and she stopped to catch her breath.

“
What kind of caveman are you?” She squeezed
his hand, brushing close to him.

He was staring at her
—his eyes still unsettled—and she wondered if he had really wanted to pick a fight, even one against six.

“
You know,” she said, “if you need someone to beat you up, I could be of service.” She couldn’t help it anymore. A fit of laugher overtook her body.

“
I’ll walk you back to your hotel,” he said, pulling at her arm and hauling her along. “Your brother asked me to keep an eye on you. I won’t let you get raped by some drunks.”

“
How chivalrous.” She jerked her arm back. “But you can snap out of it now. You’re walking me nowhere. I’ll go back to the bar and pick up the bartender. That’s what sluts do on their birthdays.” She turned and walked away, expecting him to come after her. Any second now…

“
No, you’re not going to do that.” He closed his fingers hard around her wrist. “You’ll stay with me.”

She smiled
—guys, easily manipulated. She turned around, about to tease him some more, when she heard a cold metal click around her wrist. Her heart skipped.

“
You’re a danger to yourself.” He lifted his hand, pulling her hand up, too.

What the
…?
She stared at her handcuffed wrist, back at his face, and found his smile very worrying.

“
You’re going nowhere but straight into my hotel room, where you can sleep alone until I put your butt back into the plane to your brother.” He walked on, pulling her after him, and she stumbled along next to him.

“
No.” She dug her heels into the ground, trying to stop him, but he was stronger. “You can’t do that.”

“
Watch me.”

She tripped after him, the tight cuffs giving her a taste of freedom taken away, and her mind almost somersaulted with the effort to find a way out.
I could scream—
 

“
In case you scream for help,” he said, “I’m sure the cops will offer you accommodation for one night if I tell them that you tried to pick me up.” He stopped and made a point of looking her up and down. “You look like a girl-for-hire in that outfit.”

A chill crept over her skin at his insp
ection, turning her blood cold. He was supposed to get jealous over the bartender. And she wanted to hear an apology for calling her a slut, and then she would kiss him, and he would kiss her back, and he would beg her to forgive his rude behavior, hold her in his arms…

“
No, please,” she begged. He walked too fast, making her stumble in her heels. “Take them off. The cuffs scare me. Please, take them off.” Good, her voice had come across with just the right amount of submission. She blinked, concentrating on a few tears. Since she’d been little, she could cry at will. Striving for a meek expression, she turned her teary eyes to him. “Please, I’ll do what you want.”

“
You are already doing what I want.” He brushed a tear from her cheek. “Impressive,” he said, “fake tears.” He lifted her chin with his finger, leaning forward. “Now be quiet.”

She swallowed away the dryness in her throat, hating the leather arou
nd her wrist. He had turned her down. Again. And even with all the people around her, she was alone. The fun and excitement had turned to a dead weight, pressing onto her shoulders. Tears prickled her eyes, and this time, they were real.

He walked her past Bellagio
’s water fountains, through the hotel lobby, and waited for the elevator, ignoring curious glances from other guests. The elevator came, opened with a soft hiss, and she stumbled after him. She stared to the floor, desperate to avoid the eyes of other people in the elevator.

“
She likes it,” Brian said cheerfully into the silence of the elevator, rattling at the cuffs. Someone giggled.

Blood rushed into her face, and she wished the ground would open up or the elevator would explode, freeing her from the embarrassment. She lifted her foot to stomp on Brian
’s shoe. She brought her foot down, but hit only the floor because he’d pulled his foot away in time.

“
Too slow,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.  “I saw that coming from a mile away.”

She wanted to move closer but didn
’t. “And you probably think you’re clever, too,” she whispered back, bringing her foot down a second time, satisfied to hear his groan.

Stop after stop the elevator
emptied and they were the last to get off. They walked along a narrow corridor before finally stopping. Brian fumbled with a key card to open the door, walked her into the room, and switched on the light.

She didn
’t care a damn about the stunning suite. All she wanted was to get rid of the cuffs. She stopped him with her un-cuffed hand by the shoulder, searching his dark green eyes for hints of sympathy, but found none.

“
Brian, look, you can’t treat me like this. You don’t want me to tell my brother that you handcuffed me and stuck me in your room. He could get the wrong impression. And seriously, I’ll take care that he gets the wrong impression. You don’t want to lose your best pal, do you?” She licked over her dry lips. “Pretty please?” She held up her wrist.

“
I’ll take them off, but do you promise you’ll stay here in the room until tomorrow?”

She put a good-girl-smile on her face. Foolproof. Only a few seconds separated her from freedom.
“I promise.” She crossed her heart. “I’ll stay and let you take me to the airport tomorrow. And I won’t utter a single word to Matt.”
You bet I won’t.

He smiled solemnly.
“I knew you would say that.” He got a pair of small keys from his pocket and freed his own wrist.

“
Thanks.” She still had the cuffs around her wrist, but at least he couldn’t drag her around anymore. He put his arm around her shoulders as he walked her farther into his suite. The warmth from his body seeped into her skin. Tentatively, she
snuggled deeper against his side. Maybe this would work out after all. She glanced at the huge bed in front of a panorama window, offering a breathtaking view onto Vegas at night.

“
Nice view, isn’t it?” he asked, turning her around to face him.

“
Yes, it is,” she whispered, leaning into him and closer to his mouth, her gaze glued to the upward tilt of his lips. He smiled wider and her knees turned weak. Her hand shook as she slipped her fingers inside his jacket and pulled it off his shoulders. “Brian,” she said, hearing her longing, as his hands closed around her waist, and then he pushed her backward.

Surprised, s
he fell with a cry on the bed, and sank deep into the mattress. Yes, this was
much
better. He followed, pinning her down, heavy and solid on top of her.
Damn it, he’s one of these I-hunt-my-own-prey kind of guys.
She had probably turned him off by going so strong after him. Well, he could hunt her down now, as long as he stayed with her tonight. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. He brushed his lips over her mouth as he clasped her arms over her head.

“
You like the view?” he whispered against her lips, and his hand closed hard around her wrist.

Her eyes flew open as he tugged at her hand.
About time he took them off.
She smiled, pushing her hips harder against him, and heard his quiet laugh. Closing her eyes again, she wrapped her legs around him. God, he felt good. She reached for him, but he caught her hand and brought it up again. “Hey,” she said as he didn’t loosen his grasp around her hand, then she heard something snap shut. “What—?”

“
It’s good that you like the view.” He stood up. “Because you have the whole night to enjoy it.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. She stared at his face, trying to move her arms, but couldn
’t. She turned her head. Both her hands were cuffed around the iron headboard. “No,” she whispered, pulling at them with all her might.

“
Oh, yes,” he said. “You might want to stop struggling against it.”

“
Take them off!” she yelled, pain throbbing through her arms and shoulders. She stopped fighting against the cuffs because she’d only hurt herself. 

“
Take them off?” He stood in front of the window, his back turned to her. “As if you would stay here otherwise.” He turned around and looked down on her. “See you tomorrow, Suzie.”

“
No, please, don’t leave me here alone.” Real panic rose in her, a solid knot in her stomach, and she gritted her teeth to stop it from showing on her face. “You can’t do that.”